Clemson's Key For Fsu Is Up In Air

Fantastic Friday - FSU - Next opponent: Clemson

The Tigers Know In Order To Be Successful Against The Seminoles, The Passing Attack Is Crucial.

September 19, 1997|By Alan Schmadtke of The Sentinel Staff

TALLAHASSEE — The joke went something like this:

What do you call a forward pass in Clemson?

A UFO!

These days, even the Tigers are laughing. Mulder and Scully have left Death Valley, a k a Memorial Stadium, satisfied that quarterback Nealon Greene's actions no longer constitute evidence for the The X-Files.

Clemson coach Tommy West can diagram a post-corner route.

It's just that West's quarterback and more than one receiver developed to the point of refinement, and just in time. Fifth-ranked Florida State, the only Atlantic Coast Conference team never to lose at Clemson, comes calling on Saturday.

''The day is gone in college football when you can line up and run it every down and expect to win,'' West said. ''Defenses are forcing offenses to throw . . . to make the quarterback win the game.''

For No. 16 Clemson, enjoying its highest ranking in five seasons, Greene has.

He threw for 250 yards against Appalachian State in Clemson's season opener. After Tigers fans checked their eyeglass prescriptions, Greene threw for 250 more yards last week, rallying Clemson from a fourth-quarter deficit to a 19-17 win at North Carolina State.

Greene's performances were not only the first consecutive 250-yard passing games in Clemson's history, they were also the first two 250-yard games by any Tigers quarterback in one season.

''In the game (against N.C. State), I don't know in my years of coaching that I've seen a quarterback do as much for a team as Nealon did for our team,'' West said. ''He made plays that won the game for us.''

Greene sprained his big toe against the Wolfpack and has missed practice time this week, but the Seminoles expect to see him Saturday.

''We're trying to mix it up with running and passing and with getting different guys the ball,'' said Greene, who has played under four offensive coordinators at Clemson. ''It's really the same thing we've been trying to do, but we're executing and having some success.''

If Florida State's defense, designed to stall the running game, focuses first on ACC rushing leading Raymond Priester, Greene represents Mission 1A.

''You have to keep contain on him. If he breaks contain, he can run. And when you think he's going to run something, he still passes. That can be hard to keep up with.''

In the off-season, West lured Steve Ensminger to his staff from Texas A&M to replace Clyde Christensen, who joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In addition to developing quarterbacks suitable to the passing game, Ensminger's career highlight is that he dragged Georgia out of its run-first,-last-and-always mentality when Eric Zeier was on campus.

That Ensminger's arrival is timed with Greene's increase in pass production is part coincidence.

A simpler offense produced rapid confidence from the quarterback. More maturity by Greene, a senior from Yonkers, N.Y., gave him more patience in the pocket and the ability to make better decisions out of it.

Truth be told, West, a tight end in college, may not be as old school as he would like to have people believe. The Tigers were well on their way to modernizing their offense with Greene a year ago.

Last season's per-game passing average of 136.1 yards was limited by the dismissal of several key skill players for off-field transgressions.

Without another receiver threat to couple with Tony Horne, the Tigers were hamstrung.

''This year is a continuation of what we've tried to move toward the last three years,'' West said.

Clemson shows more looks - three and four receivers, plus a Shotgun - and trots out more play-action passes.

Greene's athleticism has become enhanced by his ability to deliver the ball quickly and decisively.

''The thing that impresses you is how far he has come as a passer,'' FSU defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews said. ''He has the skills that great quarterbacks have, and he has developed them. We've looked at everything we've got on him, stuff from every year, and you can see how he's grown up.''

NOTES: Tired of having his football career in limbo because of an ongoing court case, FSU senior defensive tackle Julian Pittman will plead out charges of burglary and credit-card fraud next week, his attorney said. Although the State Attorney's Office has refused to offer a deal less than what the state guidelines suggest - that is, 21 to 38 months in jail - attorney Erica Eson said Pittman will leave his fate in the decision of Leon County Circuit Court Judge Ralph Smith.

''This is in our client's best interests overall,'' Eson said. Also, Pittman on Thursday withdrew his $75,000 lawsuit of the Florida Board of Regents. The dismissal comes after Pittman, who said he had not been given due process when FSU suspended him indefinitely because of the felony credit-card fraud charge, was granted a hearing by the student judicial committee last week. A hearings officer has until Sept. 26 to deliver a decision.